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Does Too Much Sun Really Cause Melanoma?

Source: Mercola.com

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/05/does-too-much-sun-really-cause-melanoma.aspx?source=nl

[caption id="attachment_964" align="aligncenter" width="269" caption="Source: blog.garymoller.com/2007/12/if-you-have-melan..."][/caption]

Sam Shuster, a consultant dermatologist at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, argues that sun exposure is not the major cause of malignant melanoma.

Melanoma is related more to ethnicity, and in 75 percent of cases it occurs on relatively unexposed sites, especially on the feet of Africans. Melanoma occurrence actually decreases with greater sun exposure and can be increased by sunscreens.

There is also good evidence that the reported increase in melanoma incidence is an caused by the incorrect classification of benign naevi as malignant melanomas, which would explain why melanoma mortality has changed little despite the great increase in supposed incidence.

Source:

• Eurekalert July 22, 2008

Unfortunately, in the United States, as well as many other Western countries, the sun has been unfairly demonized. Many people have been convinced that it is necessary to avoid  the sun to decrease their risk of cancer, when the converse is actually true.

And, EVEN IF increased sun exposure does not decrease your risk of melanoma specifically – the most dangerous and rare form of skin cancer -- why would anyone in their right mind want to exchange the risk of a few harmless skin cancers with that of serious life-threatening challenges like breast-, prostate- and colon cancers?

Reduced Overall Cancer Risk Outweigh Any Risk of Melanoma

In fact, other studies have confirmed that the benefits of moderate sun exposure FAR outweigh its risks. For example, people who live in sunnier, southern latitudes and have higher vitamin D levels as a result of their increased sun exposure, are less likely to die from any type of cancer than people in northern latitudes.

Optimizing your vitamin D levels can help you to prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers. And vitamin D does not just impact your cancer risk slightly. It can cut your risk by as much as 60 percent!

Its protective effect against cancer works in several ways, including:

• Increasing the self-destruction of mutated cells (which, if allowed to replicate, could lead to cancer)
• Reducing the spread and reproduction of cancer cells
• Causing cells to become differentiated (cancer cells often lack differentiation)
• Reducing the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, which is a step in the transition of dormant tumors turning cancerous

Previous studies have found that more than one million people die every year from lack of sun exposure and subsequent vitamin D deficiency, so you really need to overcome your fear of the sun if you want to stay optimally healthy.

The Cumulative Benefits of Sun Exposure FAR Outweigh Your Risk of Skin Cancer

But the benefits don’t end with reduced cancer risk. Appropriate sun exposure has also been linked to:

• Fewer aging-related changes in your DNA
• Lowered inflammatory responses
• Lowered insulin resistance
• Reduced heart disease risk

Northern countries (with less intense sunlight and colder winters) have higher levels of heart disease than sun-filled southern countries, and more heart attacks occur in the winter months, when sunlight is scarce.

One study even discovered that low vitamin D levels more than doubled the risk of heart attack and death. That’s big!

Past studies have also found that getting a daily dose of vitamin D boosts your natural anti-inflammatory response, which can help treat congestive heart failure.

Just how does vitamin D help your heart?

There are a number of mechanisms triggered by vitamin D production that help fight heart disease, including:

• An increase in your body's natural anti-inflammatory cytokines
• The suppression of vascular calcification
• The inhibition of vascular smooth muscle growth

What May Be a Greater Risk Factor for Melanoma Than the Sun?

In 2001, the National Academy of Sciences published a comprehensive review showing that your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio was the key to preventing skin cancer development.

If you’re like the average American, you’re likely consuming far too many omega-6 fats, and far too little omega-3.

If you want to reduce or virtually eliminate your risk of skin- and other cancers, it will be vital to radically reduce your consumption of most vegetable oils, as they are high in omega-6 fats. Just 100 years ago, the average American consumed less than one pound of these oils per year, and today that amount has exploded to 75 pounds per year.

Another Australian study showed a 40 percent reduction in melanoma for those who ate fish, which is rich in omega-3.

This is one of the many reasons why I highly recommend taking krill oil or fish oil as a safe and effective alternative to increase your intake of beneficial omega-3s, considering the fact that most fish is now heavily contaminated with high levels of mercury.

To Prevent Skin Damage You Have to Protect Against the Most Damaging Rays

Ultraviolet light from the sun comes in two main wavelengths – UVA and UVB.  It’s important for you to understand the difference between them, and your risk factors from each.

Consider UVB the ‘good guy’ that helps your skin produce vitamin D.

UVA is considered the ‘bad guy’ because it penetrates your skin more deeply and causes more free radical damage.  Not only that, but UVA rays are quite constant during ALL hours of daylight, throughout the entire year -- unlike UVB, which are low in morning and evening, and high at midday.

If you’ve ever gotten a scorching sunburn on a cloudy day, you now understand why; it’s from the deeply penetrating UVA!

Since UVA’s are inherently more damaging, AND persistently high during all daylight hours, wearing a sunscreen that doesn’t protect you from UVA is going to give you virtually no benefit and be detrimental to your overall health, while increasing your risk of melanoma since you’re more likely to stay out longer and suffer deeper damage.

Two non-toxic ingredients that scatter both UVB and the more damaging UVA rays are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. They’ve been used all over the world for over 75 years as safe sunscreens. These two natural minerals form the base of my Natural Sunscreen.

Sunscreens May Not Prevent Melanoma Either…

Although sunscreen can prevent the most common types of skin cancer -- basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas -- it does not protect against melanoma, according to research from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

They found that those who used sunscreen did not have a lower risk of melanoma, even though it has been theorized that using sunscreen to prevent sunburns in childhood might lower your risk of cancer.

Based on the evidence, researchers concluded that sunburn, in and of itself, probably does not cause melanoma, but that sunburn is an important sign of excessive sun exposure that can cause melanoma in people who are genetically susceptible because of their skin type. Since sunscreen prevents sunburn it might encourage light-skinned individuals to spend more time in the sun, possibly increasing their melanoma risk.

Think about what your favorite sunscreens are, or better yet, what the most popular brands are. I bet the first brand names that pop into your head are Coppertone, Banana Boat, Neutrogena, maybe Hawaiin Tropic for some of you. It would figure, since these brands have been used for decades and are more widely advertised than other brands. Everyone knows the little blond, pig-tailed girl on the pink bottle with playful puppy trying to pull down the back of her bathing suit. It's cute. However, current research done by the Environmental Working Group shows that 4 out 5 suncreens don't work; and, unfortunately for many people, this includes the all popular brands of Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena, among others. Ironically, these three sunscreens are the industry leaders - all thanks to advertising. I use Neutrogena SPF30 because it comes in a nice bottle, it smells pretty, and it sprays on so I don't have to physically touch any lotion.

If anyone has watched Live with Regis and Kelly lately and has seen Dr. Oz talk about the dangers of the sun, you know that there are two types of sun rays to beware of - UVA and UVB. UVA are the rays the penetrate deep under the skin and give you wrinkles; UVB are the rays that burn the skin and cause skin cancer. According to Dr. Oz, you should be using sunscreen with SPF30 and only use sunscreen that has a 4-star rating on the bottle. If you are at the beach or pool or playing sports, you need to reapply every 2 hours, which we all know no one does. Also, if you are a heavy sweater - it's okay, some people just have super glands - you also need to use waterproof SPF. You don't need to use SPF90 or some ridiculous number like that, the most important use of sunscreen is in the application. If you apply sunscreen in the correct amount and in the correct increments, SPF30 has the same effect as SPF60, etc. Correct amount means you need to lather up so your entire exposed area has a nice, thick, base. This does not mean you need a chalk-white nose, it just means don't dab a little onto your index finger and spread it out over your stomach. The recommended amount is a shot glass full of lotion for every area of the body (i.e. lower back, arms, chest, stomach, legs, etc.)

The SPF scale only applies to UVB rays, which in a way is good, because those are the cancer catalysts. However, increasing research shows that UVA also might be the cause of skin-cancer. EWG has created the Top 10 Sunscreens List:

1- Keys Soap Solar RX Therapeutic Sunblock SPF 30.
2- Trukid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum SPF 30.
3- California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance SPF 30.
4- Badger Sunscreen SPF 30.
5- Marie Veronique Skin Therapy Sun Serum.
6- Lavera Sunscreen Neutral SPF 40.
7- Vanicream Sunscreen SPF 35.
8- UV Natural Sunscreen SPF 30.
9- Sun Science Sport Formula SPF 30.
10- Soleo Organics Sunscreen All Natural Sunscreen SPF 30.

In addition, here's the Top 10 States that Cause Melanoma, listed by the number of skin-cancer cases recorded for Summer 2007:

1. California – 6,680
2. Florida – 4,380
3. Texas – 3,860
4. Pennsylvania – 3,120
5. New York – 3,070
6. Ohio – 2,390
7. New Jersey – 2,210
8. Michigan – 2,080
9. Illinois – 2,050
10. Massachusetts – 1,820

Of course, the best way to avoid harmful sun exposure is to cover up with clothing, other than tank tops, t-shirts, and shorts. The reality of it is that sunscreen protection actually only lasts from the point of application as little as 15 minutes! So, if your bald, wear a hat with a brim all the way around. Everyone should wear UV protective sunglasses, especially since UV rays are a leading cause of sight loss. Another thing people should remember is sunblock for their lips - people tend to forget them, and they get irritated even faster than the rest of the body. Plus, sun blisters and such are gross - no one wants to have one or see one on someone else, so cover up them puckers!! Also, checking the UV index before going out for the day might be helpful.

After all of this harmful sun talk, the good news is that the sun does the body some good, too! Being in the sun for 20 minutes every day gives the skin vitamin-D, which keeps it healthy. Exposure to sunlight in a protective atmosphere is also beneficial because it increases the release of Serotonin in the brain, which, if you don't already know, is the chemical for happiness. Seriously. So go on out and enjoy the sun - just so long as you are lathered in 10+ shot glasses full of Keys Soap Solar RX Therapeutic Sunblock SPF 30 and are wearing a hat, bug-eye sunglasses, gloves, long pants... just kidding. Hey, I am the one lying on the beach gently spritzing myself with Neutrogena wearing nothing but a little bikini and no sun glasses. I'm not trying to get any tan lines!

We use the word "correct" because there are many products in the market that do not have the essential ingredients to provide maximum protection. Generally, the higher the SPF the more protection from the suns cancer causing UVB rays you will have. Having a high SPF in itself is not enough. Make sure that the product you are using has Zinc Oxide. Zinc Oxide shields the skin specifically from the suns UV rays. Also, products with Titanium oxide, avobenzone, or ecamsule yield optimal results. Over exposure to UV rays is what causes the redness of a sunburn and over time the thickening of the skin's texture. It also contributes to the development of skin cancer and a wide array of different types of skin spots. Generally speaking, profound effects of sun exposure do not begin to appear until later in our lives.

This is the time that we all seek skin care treatments to address the long term damage to our skin from repeated unprotected sun exposure. Skin care creams and treatments can only do so much. This is why prevention is the best option to perfect healthy skin.

As unbelievable as it may seem, after reading just one sentence of iThink, I was hooked.  It was obvious to me just by the first page that this blog was going to be extremely well thought out.  Most student blogs I have read do not have much of a welcome, but this one caught my attention and held it.  Poff, a soon-to-be senior in high school, has a very conservative view that shines through in every piece.  He speaks out against Barack Obama, the liberal Democratic candidate, for the 2008 presidential election.  Although he disagrees with principals punishing students for their illegal activities outside school viewed on facebook, he does think that the drinking done by these students should not happen at all.  Poff also attacks the use of curse words on television today and the decency that is apparently lacking in today's world.  He also strongly opposes the idea of same-sex marriage, although he states that this issue should not be used against conservatives by Republican candidates year after year.  However, the topic Poff spends most of his blog space opposing is abortion.  Every aspect of the process seems to be considered wrong by him, all the way down to the "morning after pill," RU-486.  Most people that oppose abortion are still accept rape victims receiving the RU-486 the day after their tramatic experience, but definitely not Poff.  Obviously, the words of iThink take conservative to a whole new level.

Do not get me wrong.  I love an informational blog, but what I love even more is a blog that hits close to home.  Thoughts About English & A Few Other Things did just that.  Wilkerson, another soon-to-be senior, personalizes issues in a way I have not read on a blog before.  For example, on her post against abortion, she brings up the plot of the recently released movie Juno.  Tons of girls have seen that movie and understand what she is talking about, so her words could reach much further than a few unsentimental statistics.  Also, on her post about sun exposure and tanning beds, she talks about her family and their battle against skin cancer.  She also talks about how this growing issue is her platform for pageants.  Many people can relate to someone they know or love fighting cancer, overusing tanning beds, or fighting their way to the top in pageants.  In yet another post, Wilkerson brings up the issue of obesity.  To relate this one back to her own life, she talked about her "square days," when she was shaped like a square.  Everyone has had a time in their lives when they did not like the way they looked, so each of us can relate.  In her post about the outrageousness of the pageant and beauty queen world, she speaks out about shows on TV today like Miss America:Reality Check and Little Beauties:Ultimate Kiddie Queen Showdownand how they ahve taken the "Barbie" stereotype too far.  Again plenty of people have seen these shows or know people like these, who have inhaled a little too much hairspray.  Wilkerson definitely knows how to relate to people an dprovide the facts to make her blog a knockout.

If being thorough was a competition, Fighting The Power would definitely take the gold.  Almost every hot topic discussed today and even some that most people do not think about are talked about on this blog.  Capital punishment.  Home-schooling.  Drug use.  Steroids.  Global warming.  Not one of them is left untouched by Grace, yet again a soon-to-be senior.  Not only does he bring his personal opinon in to play, but he has all the facts to back up his outlook on each and every issue.  His statistics are mind-boggling.  For example, on his post arguing for capital punishment, he states that 3,000 inmates were sentenced to death row in 1995.  Even more, the number has continued to rise.  Also, on his post attacking steroid users, he stated that there is an actual list of Major League Baseball players who have at one point in time used steroids.  This outrageous list is none other than the "Mitchell Report."  Who knew such a record was out there, and what does this say about America?  To add just a touch more brilliance, Grace captivated me with his intriguing questions and statements that made even me second guess my point-of-view.  For example, on his post doubting home-schooling, he asked question after question that really had me thinking.  One that especially stuck out to me was "so which is really safer, hiding a kid behind a shield or allowing them to fend for themselves under supervision?"  In Grace's post discussing drug use and overdose, he ended with the simple words "make a choice."  Though blunt, these words go straight to the point, which is sometimes the best way to go.  Each and every post challenged me to look farther and understand more.  Furthermore, Fighting The Power speaks out to people and does not leave any comment unstated.

Though I may not have silver or gold, I did find these treasured good reads, which I now have mountainous respect for.  Poff, Wilkerson, and Grace are three amazing young authors who I hope continue to write for years to come.  These exceptional blogs will always stay with me, and I hope they will stay with you too.  Find your treasure.

▪ Eat colorful antioxidant-rich foods daily
Current research has proven the common sense of our garden-planting grandparents: summer’s most plentiful fruits and veggies, such as tomatoes, peppers, dark greens, lettuces, broccoli, berries, cantaloupe and watermelon, are filled with protective carotenoids which stop inflammation and help protect skin cells (and eyes) from UV damage.

▪ Drink cell-protecting beverages and stay hydrated
Green tea, black, oolong and white teas are packed with antioxidant pigments called anthocyanins. Surprisingly, white tea contains the most anthocyanins and the least caffeine. Just don’t overdo tea, coffee or sodas…too much caffeine can cause dehydration (and loss of skin-and-hair-nourishing B vitamins). Aim for a daily water intake of half your body weight in ounces to create moist, radiant skin.

▪ Avoid potentially harmful sunscreen ingredients
Studies have shown several chemical ingredients in sunscreens to be suspected carcinogens or hormone disruptors. Some to avoid are: Oxybenzone, Benzophenone-3, OD-PABA, Homosalate and Octyl-methoyl-cinnamates (OMC). Find an on-line database rating product safety at: www.ewg.org/sunscreen.

▪ Use mineral-based physical sunblocks
New non-chemical sunblocks contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, giving broad spectrum protection that begins immediately when applied to skin. Recommended for the whole family is zinc-based Badger SPF 30 Sunblock for face and body--#1 on Environmental Working Group’s Top 10 Sunscreen list. Great for adult faces is Desert Essence Organics SPF 30 Age Reversal Mineral Sunscreen. Tip: apply sunscreen to hands and arms before driving--and store the tube out of the heat.

▪ Give extra care to your face, neck and lips
Never use an exfoliating scrub immediately before sun exposure. Use a solar protective moisturizer under your sunscreen or makeup, plus a natural lip gloss with SPF 15 over lip color. Add more face, neck & decoletté protection with mineral foundation or bronzers (for ladies) and colorless brush-on minerals (for men or women). Choose tested quality products such as Mineralogie’s SPF 26 mineral foundation. ( www.mineralogie.biz ).

▪ Plan your ‘sunshine strategy’ well
The body needs 10-15 minutes daily sun exposure to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D—the trick is to get your sunshine vitamin at ideal times. Avoid the burning rays between 10 am and 4 pm. If you must be in the sun for extended periods, consider sun-protective clothing with UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) of 15 to 50+. Check medications and supplements for any sun precautions. The herb St. John’s Wort, for example, increases photosensitivity. And remember to carry botanical after-sun soothers like aloe gel and calendula lotion to cool and repair your skin!

Barbara Carr is a holistic Licensed Esthetician in Raleigh, NC. E-mail: barbara@naturesface.com or call: 919-845-4385.  Natures Face website: www.NaturesFace.com

From Nature's Face Blog: naturesface.wordpress.com

Tonight we are going back to medical basics with the application of the least expensive, safest and perhaps most effective cancer medicine there is. Sodium bicarbonate has been on many cancer patients' minds this past year. It has not been easy though to get to Rome or even contact Dr. Tullio Simoncini for  treatment. And doctors willing to give bicarbonate IVs are not on every corner so it's been somewhat frustrating to have something so simple and effective remain elusive. If doctors doing such treatments want to be listed by the IMVA for referral please contact us.

Though we have known that oral intake of sodium bicarbonate will have the
'Simoncini" effect on oral, esophagus and stomach cancer we have not focused
at all on the systemic effect of bicarbonate taken orally. Every cancer patient and every health care practitioner should know that oral intake of sodium bicarbonate offers an instant and strong shift of blood pH into the alkaline.
So strong is the effect that athletes can notice the difference in their breathing as more oxygen is carried throughout the system and as more acids are neutralized.[i] The difference can be stunning for those whose respiration is labored under intense exercise loading.[ii] This tells us to take very seriously the oral use of bicarbonate for cancer treatment no matter what other treatment is used.

This diagram shows the diffusion directions for H+, CO2, and O2 between the
blood and the muscle cells during exercise. The resulting concentration changes affect the buffer equilibria, shown in the upper right-hand corner of the diagram (yellow). If the amounts of H+ and CO2 exceed the capacity of hemoglobin, they affect the carbonic acid equilibrium, as predicted by Le Chtelier's Principle or the quantitative treatment in terms of equilibrium constants. As a result, the pH of the blood is lowered, causing acidosis. The lungs and kidneys respond to pH changes by removing CO2, HCO3-, and H+ from the blood.

When one reads my thesis on different medicinal substances one has to always
remember that I am a protocol man who does not support single shot cures for
anything. With the publication of today's chapter on sodium bicarbonate and
maple syrup sodium bicarbonate slips securely into the number three spot right behind _magnesium chloride_ (http://www.magnesiumforlife.com/) and iodine.
Each of these three substances effects directly onto basic human physiology
in a way most pharmaceutical drugs do not. When used together we have a
super threesome that will inexpensively go far to resolving many of the physical and even some of the emotional problems we and our children face.
And if you have not made the connection please note that all three of these
substances are used in emergency rooms and intensive care wards and they do
commonly save lives every day with their inherent healing powers. See my
chapter on emergency room medicine and cancer treatment._
(http://www.winningcancer.com/txt/emergency-room-cancer-treatment/)

All cancer sufferers and in fact every chronic disease patient should hold
clearly in mind that pH is the regulatory authority that controls most
cellular processes. The pH balance of the human bloodstream is recognized by
medical physiology texts as one of the most important biochemical balances
in all of human body chemistry. pH is the acronym for 'Potential Hydrogen'.
In definition, it is the degree of concentration of hydrogen ions in a
substance or solution. It is measured on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 14.
Higher numbers mean a substance is more alkaline in nature and there is a greater potential for absorbing more hydrogen ions. Lower numbers indicate more acidity with less potential for absorbing hydrogen ions.

Our body pH is very important because pH controls the speed of our body's
biochemical reactions. It does this by controlling the speed of enzyme
activity as well as the speed that electricity moves through our body; the
higher (more alkaline) the pH of a substance or solution, the more
electrical resistance that substance or solution holds. Therefore,
electricity travels slower with higher pH. If we say something has an acid
pH, we are saying it is hot and fast. Alkaline pH on the other hand,
bio-chemically speaking, is slow and cool.

Body ph level changes are intense in the profundity of their biological
effects. Even genes directly experience external pH. pH differentially
regulates a large number of proteins. Increased oxidative stress, which
correlates almost exponentially with ph changes into the acidic, is
especially dangerous to the mitochondria, which suffer the greatest under
oxidative duress. Epigenetics, which may now have begun eclipsing traditional genetics, commonly describes how factors such as diet and smoking, rather than
inheritance influence how genes behave.

The following chapter comes after 100 pages of text in the Yeast and Fungi
Invaders section of the _Winning the War on Cancer book_
(http://www.winningcancer.com/) . Please note that sodium bicarbonate taken
in water alone will have a powerful effect on entire body physiology because
of the instant shift into alkaline pH levels. Bicarbonate can be taken
frequently throughout the day with half teaspoons amounts though for long
term use lower doses are safer. For cancer patients initial use should be
heavy and frequent to force a greater shift because smaller pH shifts can
actually stimulate cancer growth.

Common sense knowledge speaks loudly about cancer and Candida patients
avoiding glucose. This is similar to the common sense of pilots who know to
pull back on the stick to pull out of a dive. That works until you
approach the speed of sound and at that point all the pulling in the world
will not work. You have to push the stick forward and do what instincts scream not to do. Several died trying until Chuck Yeager pushed that stick forward and became the first man to break the speed of sound.

Bicarbonate Maple Cancer Treatment
International Medical Veritas Association

The bicarbonate maple syrup cancer treatment focuses on delivering natural
chemotherapy in a way that effectively kills cancer cells but significantly
reduces the brutal side effects experienced with most standard chemotherapy
treatments. In fact so great is the reduction that the dangers are brought
down to zero. Costs, which are a factor for the majority of people, of this
particular treatment are nil. Though this cancer treatment is very inexpensive, do not assume it is not effective. The bicarbonate maple syrup cancer treatment is a very significant cancer treatment every cancer patient should be familiar with and it can easily be combined with other safe and effective natural treatments.

This cancer treatment is similar in principle to Insulin Potentiation
Therapy (IPT). IPT treatment consists of giving doses of insulin to a fasting patient sufficient to lower blood sugar into the 50 mg/dl. In a normal person, when you take in sugar the insulin levels go up to meet the need of getting that sugar into the cells. In IPT they are artificially injecting insulin to deplete the blood of all sugar then injecting the lower doses of toxic chemo
drugs when the blood sugar is driven down to the lowest possible value.
Duringthe low peak, it is said that the receptors are more sensitive and
take on medications more rapidly and in higher amounts.

The bicarbonate maple syrup treatment works in reverse to IPT. Dr. Tullio
Simoncini acknowledges that cancer cells gobbles up sugar so when you
encourage the intake of sugar it's like sending in a Trojan horse. The sugar
is notgoing to end up encouraging the further growth of the cancer colonies
because the baking soda is going to kill the cells before they have a chance
to grow. Instead of artificially manipulating insulin and thus forcefully driving
down blood sugar levels to then inject toxic chemo agents we combine the
sugar with the bicarbonate and present it to the cancer cells, which at first are going to love the present. But not for long!

*This treatment is a combination of pure, 100% maple syrup and baking soda
and was first reported on the Cancer Tutor site. When mixed and heated
together, the maple syrup and baking soda bind together. The maple syrup
targets cancer cells (which consume 15 times more glucose than normal cells)
and the baking soda, which is dragged into the cancer cell by the maple
syrup, being very alkaline forces a rapid shift in pH killing the cell. The
actual formula is to mix one part baking soda with three parts (pure, 100%)
maple syrup in a small saucepan. Stir briskly and heat the mixture for 5
minutes. Take 1 teaspoon daily, is what is suggested by Cancer Tutor but one
could probably do this several times a day*.

"There is not a tumor on God's green earth that cannot be licked with a little baking soda and maple syrup." That is the astonishing claim of controversial folk healer Jim Kelmun who says that this simple home remedy can stop and reverse the deadly growth of cancers. His loyal patients swear by the man they fondly call Dr. Jim and say he is a miracle worker. "Dr. Jim cured me of lung cancer," said farmer Ian Roadhouse. "Those other doctors told me that I was a goner and had less then six months to live. But the doc put me on his mixture and in a couple of months the cancer was gone. It did not even show up on the x-rays."

Dr. Jim discovered this treatment accidentally somewhere in the middle of
the last century when he was treating a family plagued by breast cancer.
There were five sisters in the family and four of them had died of breast
cancer. He asked the remaining sister if there was anything different in her diet
and she told him that she was partial to sipping maple syrup and baking soda.
Since then, reported by a newspaper in Ashville, North Carolina, Dr. Jim dispensed this remedy to over 200 people diagnosed with terminal cancer and
amazingly he claims of that number 185 lived at least 15 more years and nearly half enjoyed a complete remission of their disease. When combined with other safe and effective treatments like transdermal magnesium therapy, iodine, vitamin C, probiotics and other items like plenty of good sun exposure, pure water and clay treatments we should expect even higher remission rates.

It is very important not to use baking soda which has had aluminum added to
it. The Cancer Tutor site reports that Arm and Hammer does have aluminum but
the company insists that is not true. One can buy a product which specifically states it does not include aluminum or other chemicals. (e.g. Bob's Red Mill, Aluminum-Free, Baking Soda). Sodium bicarbonate is safe, extremely inexpensive and unstoppably effective when it comes to cancer tissues. It's an irresistible chemical, cyanide to cancer cells for it hits the cancer cells with a shock wave of alkalinity, which allows much more oxygen into the cancer cells than they can tolerate. Cancer cells cannot survive in the presence of high levels of oxygen. Studies have already shown how manipulation of tumor pH with sodium bicarbonate enhances some forms of chemotherapy.[iii]

"The therapeutic treatment of bicarbonate salts can be administered orally,
through aerosol, intravenously and through catheter for direct targeting of
tumors," says oncologist Dr. Tullio Simoncini. "Sodium bicarbonate administered orally, via aerosol or intravenously can achieve positive results only in some tumors, while others � such as the serious ones of the brain or the bones - remain unaffected by the treatment."

The maple syrup apparently enables and increases penetration of bicarbonate
into all compartments of body, even those which are difficult or impossible
to penetrate by other means. These compartments include the central nervous
system (CNS), through the blood-brain barrier, joints, solid tumors, and perhaps even the eyes. IPT makes cell membranes more permeable, and increases uptake of drugs into cells. The maple syrup will make tissues more permeable, too. It will transport the bicarbonate across the blood-brain barrier and every other barrier in the body for sugar is universally needed by all cells in the body. The essence of IPT is that it allows cancer drugs to be given in a smaller dose, far less toxic to normal cells, while building up lethally toxic concentrations in cancer cells. Both IPT and bicarbonate maple syrup treatments use the rabid growth mechanisms of the cancer cell against them.

Dr. Jim did not have contact with Dr. Simoncini and did not know that he is
the only oncologist in the world who would sustain the combining of sugar
with bicarbonate. Dr. Simoncini always directs his patients to dramatically
increase sugar intake with his treatments but has never thought to mix the
two directly by cooking them together. Because his treatments depend on
interventionist radiologists who insert catheters to direct the bicarbonate
as close to the affected area as possible, or physicians willing to do expensive
intravenous treatments, I pushed bicarbonate up into the number six slot in
the IMVA cancer protocol. With the discovery of Dr. Jim's work bicarbonate
comes back into our number three spot right behind magnesium chloride and
iodine.

That numbe three slot for a brief time was held by hemp oil containing THC.
The great advantage that maple syrup and bicarbonate treatment has over this
type hemp oil is that it is legal thus easily obtainable. The two together, backed by a solid protocol of other nutritional substances makes winning the war on cancer almost a certainty. When using these substances it is safer to change one's vocabulary and not say one is treating and curing cancer. Far better to conceptualize that one is treating the infectious aspect of cancer, the fungus and yeast colonies and the yeast like bacteria that are the cause of TB.

Dr. Simoncini says that, "In some cases, the aggressive power of fungi is so
great as to allow it, with only a cellular ring made up of three units to tighten in its grip, capture and kill its prey in a short time notwithstanding the prey's desperate struggling. Fungus, which is the most powerful and the most organized micro-organism known, seems to be an extremely logical candidate as a cause of neoplastic proliferation."

pH of the blood is the most important factor to determine the state of the
microorganisms in the blood.

"Sodium bicarbonate therapy is harmless, fast and effective because it is
extremely diffusible. A therapy with bicarbonate for cancer should be set up
with strong dosage, continuously, and with pauseless cycles in a destruction
work which should proceed from the beginning to the end without interruption
for at least 7-8 days. In general a mass of 2-3-4 centimeters will begin to
consistently regress from the third to the fourth day, and collapses from
the fourth to the fifth," says Dr Simoncini.

There are many ways to use sodium bicarbonate and it is a universal drug
like iodine and magnesium chloride. Raising pH increases the immune system's
ability to kill bacteria, concludes a study conducted at The Royal Free Hospital and School of Medicine in London. Viruses and bacteria that cause bronchitis and colds thrive in an acidic environment. To fight a respiratory infection and dampen symptoms such as a runny nose and sore throat, taking an alkalizing mixture of sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate will certainly help.

The apple cider vinegar 1/4 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda taken 2
times or more a day is another treatment as is lemon and baking soda, or lime and baking soda formulas. Perhaps honey could be substituted for maple syrup for those who live in parts of the world where maple syrup is not available but to my knowledge no one has experimented with this.

So apparently new research studies say that you are more likely to live longer and have better health results if you seek opportunities to stay out in the sun at least 15 minutes daily (front, then back). Your benefits should "outweigh" the chances of you getting skin cancer.

Don't believe me? Check it out. However, I don't know if the writer is legit or not since there are so many grammatical errors for a so-called professional company. But, with all the researchers that were named I do think so.

Now go outside and enjoy yourself! The sun is a pleasant thing. Especially around this time of year when the breeze is still around. Take a little sunblock and go swimming, or play a sport. Who cares! Just get out there and have fun!

The first and most important thing is to moisturize your skin. During the summer months, your skin requires more moisture because you lose most of your body water by sweating. It is best to use a moisturizer with an SPF of at least 15. Many of us already have a routine of putting on a moisturizer but we don’t have a routine of putting on sunscreen; therefore it is essential that your daily moisturizer has SPF already in it. If you want a healthier alternative, you can protect your face by putting on an oil free sunscreen daily. For those of us who have fairly oily skin, there are many products out there which contain SPF and are oil free.

Furthermore, during the summer, people usually have a higher tendency of developing acne or skin blemishes. One way that you can avoid blemishes during the hot and humid months is by steaming your face routinely. When you steam your face, your pores open up and you are able to clean your face of the oils and dirt which would otherwise remain trapped in your pores. If you have dry skin, steam you face for only five minutes. If your face is oily, you can steam your face for ten minutes.

Avoiding hot and humid weather is nearly impossible, but avoiding negative effects of summer on your skin is attainable.

1. Avoid sun exposure
   UV rays hasten the breakdown of collagen in the skin leading to wrinkles, rough skin texture and sagging skin (not to mention skin cancer).
2. Use medical-grade skincare products
   The skin is a good barrier and stops most products from penetrating. Medical-grade skincare products have been formulated to penetrate the skin tocreate the results you want and they have the research to prove it.
3. Use BOTOX® Cosmetic
   This really is the simplest and safest way to prevent and treat wrinkles caused by muscle contraction.
4. Use dermal fillers
   Dermal fillers can replace lost volume in the face, fill in a wrinkle and plump up your lips. Formulations like Teosyal are more purified and longer-lasting than earlier products.
5. Have IPL treatments
   Intense pulsed light treatments erase sun damage, broken capillaries and redness leaving the skin looking smoother and more even-toned.

And there is one more thing that Dr. Mulholland didn't include in his top 5...

• Avoid cigarette smoke
  Smoking wreaks havoc on your skin, speeding up the destruction of collagen and giving you a grayish cast. Smoking can also stain your skin and hair yellow -- not a pretty sight!

Many of us do wear sunscreen when we go to the beach, or on a vacation. But we don't consider the daily impact of the sun. There are UVA and UVB rays, and windows don't protect us from UV light. Sitting near a window, driving in a car, walking to and from a building, standing outside. The sun doesn't discriminate and all of these short time periods add up into cumulative sun exposure.

Just imagine if I didn't wear sunscreen for all of my trips in the car, standing outside for my son's soccer practices and games, daily errands in and out of stores, banks and post offices... my weekly sun exposure would easily add up to about 15 hours! That's one long day at the beach without sunscreen. And imagine the damage that would wreak on my skin. Other than being a cause of skin cancer, sun damage and photo aging causes rough texture, spots and mottling, lines and wrinkles, loss of firmness, sagging, yellowing and a general "leathery" appearance.

What's your most powerful, most inexpensive anti-aging weapon? SUNSCREEN!!!

Wear it every single day. No excuses. Not just on your face, but on your neck, your chest and your arms- wherever you are getting sun exposure. Even if you're inside for most of the day. Believe me. In ten years, you'll be happy you did!

Think that your clothes have you covered? Think again. That white t-shirt you've got on provides only an SPF of 3! Darker clothes provide higher SPF. Hats are fabulous.

Protect your eyes as well, with sunglasses that have lenses with UVA/UVB protective lenses. Cheapie sunglasses typically don't offer this protection. Your eyes are also vulnerable to damaging UV rays.

I take the sun seriously. I truly see it as my enemy and I don't like to be left exposed to the elements. I always wear sunglasses, I have a large floppy black hat that protects my face, shoulders and chest from the sun, and I also will sit with an umbrella- YES, an umbrella! When I attend outdoor events!

Here I am last Saturday at my son's soccer game (mind you, I had just also been to an earlier soccer game for my step-son, so this was my 3rd hour of sitting in the hot, direct sun. I am wearing SPF 70 Neutrogena Sunscreen, too!) Not only does my wacky Monet parasol keep the sun off of me, but it keeps me cool. Everyone else around me is sitting in their chairs baking in the sun using this as an opportunity to work on their tans. I do live in a very beachy-golf-tennis community where people perpetually exist with a bronze bake, and my paleness is a beacon of oddness. But I also go to a dermatologist that has a giant waiting room full of people waiting to be treated for skin cancer. And I know that in ten years, my sun avoidance and sunscreen use WILL pay off! So to everyone who thinks I am a nutcase for holding an umbrella when there's no rain, I hope you all wake up soon! It's just not worth it to fry in the sun!

Why not get a cute umbrella? There's so many fun ones you can get these days. Rain or shine, you need one!

Sunscreens? What do I use?

Right now I am using a moisturizer with SPF 15 on my face and then I apply my minerals once this absorbs.

I've fallen in love with these two sunscreens, which absorb quickly and make it so easy to apply sunblock daily!!! Whether in the cream form or the mist, I give these both an A+. And they contain Helioplex, for complete broad spectrum protection.

And don't forget your hat!!!

xoxo

Miss K

SPEAKING OF SUNLIGHT CHANGES...

Cloudy winters or not, we get 80% of our UV radiation on average by 18. I have gardened, worked in landscaping as an adult and construction from the ground up, so I might have more than my fair share of the suns blessings and consequences. I wonder how most of our grandparents 10 generations back spent their days outdoors or indoors? Probably varied a lot by location, but I would guess a lot more than the average adult these days. The walk to the outhouse or whatever must have been a common one. Then there was the mammoth chase.

SPEAKING OF CHANGES...

We are nearly double an average years tornado's reported so far. Who knows if that will have any bearing on from now on this year?

New wildflower below cat tail. Small yes, but a fine little flower nevertheless. A shriveled by the sun evening primrose to the upper left, and part of fleabane's flowers in upper right. This is in a shallow soil part of the yard. Cat is a camera hog.

.
Have a sunny Sunday in you view of things.

Click the link for story of gynecomastia surgery in India. It is normal to feel some discomfort for a few days after your procedure. This can be controlled with medication prescribed by your surgeon. You should arrange to be driven home after your surgery and have someone to help you manage for a day or two if necessary. Bruising and swelling may make it appear that there's been no improvement in your condition initially. You will most likely be told to wear an elastic pressure garment around the clock for a week or two, and for several weeks longer at night. The extreme swelling will resolve in the first few weeks but it may be three months or longer before your true result is visible.

Genau dieser Rat aber, so der renommierte norwegische Wissenschaftler Prof. Johan Moan, führt in die Irre.  "Um die optimale Vitamin D-Versorgung durch die Sonnenstrahlen zu erreichen mit der geringsten Hautkrebs-Gefahr ist die Mittagszeit die beste Periode.  Das bedeutet aber, daß die gemeinhin von Gesundheits-Organisationen in vielen Ländern erteilte Empfehlung, die drei bis fünf Stunden rund um die Mittagszeit zu meiden,  nicht nur falsch ist, sondern sogar das Hautkrebsrisiko erhöht,"  so das Resumé einer Studie am Krebsforschungszentrum (Institute for Cancer Research) in Oslo.

Zur Begründung verweisen die Forscher auf die unterschiedlichen Wellenlängen der UV-Strahlen (UVA und UVB) und ihre unterschiedliche Intensität zu den verschiedenen Tageszeiten.  Ein Grund für den Irrtum bisheriger Ratgeber sei auch darin zu suchen, dass die Folgen der UV-Bestrahlung immer an besonnten, horizontalen Flächen gemessen worden sei, der menschliche Körper ja aber eher zylindrische, vertikale Formen aufweise mit deutlich von der Flächenbestrahlung abweichenden Reaktionen auf die Sonnenstrahlen.

Quelle: PubMed 

Studie: J. Moan, A. Dahlback, A.C. Porojnic,  At what time should one go out in the sun? Advances in Experimental Medicine and  Biology, 624:86-8, 2008

Sunscreens, creams, blocks and lotions help shield the skin from damaging ultraviolet rays. But many rely on synthetic chemicals which may cause more harm than good. Substances such as para-aminobenzoic acid can cause allergic eczema; stearyl alcohol can dehydrate the skin; mineral oil prevents the skin from breathing; methyl anthranilate, which is made from coal and tar, can cause rashes; alcohol dehydrates the skin; and courarin can cause contact dermatitis.

If you are exposed only to moderate sunshine and do not have very fair or excessively dry skin, it can be enough to apply a natural vegetable oil with screening properties. The most effective are jojoba, which has a sun protection factor of 5-10; beeswax, whose high viscosity means it sticks on the skin's surface; and shea butter, which is 50% fat, including essential fatty acids, so provides a good protective seal and antioxidant protection. Avocado, rosehip, sesame and wheatgerm oils are all rich in antioxidant vitamins, so are all natural free radical fighters. You can combine these in various ways, adding some vitamin E as a preservative, as in the Natural Sunscreen Recipe below:

3 tbsp wheatgerm oil
2 tbsp sesame oil or shea butter oil
3 tbsp avacado oil
3 tbsp jojoba oil
3 capsules of vitamin E oil

Pour all ingredients in a glass jar, put on the lid and shake well. Keep the oil in the refrigerator, as exposure to heat and light will destroy its antioxidant qualities. Apply regularly to the skin in warm sun, but do not consider it complete protection. An oil like this has an SPF of 4-5, so is a sun filter rather than a block.

LONDON (Reuters) - A little more sunshine might help you live longer, according to new study findings suggesting that for some people health benefits from the sun outweigh the risk of skin cancer.

Sunlight spurs the body to produce vitamin D but fear of skin cancer is keeping many people in the shade and depriving them of an important protection from a range of diseases, researchers said.

"The skin cancer risk is there but the health benefits from some sun exposure (are) far larger than the risk," said Johan Moan, a researcher at the Institute for Cancer Research in Oslo, who led the study. "What we find is modest sun exposure gives enormous vitamin D benefits."

A number of studies have found protective effects from higher vitamin D intake for some cancers and ailments such as rickets, osteoporosis and diabetes, Moan said. Certain foods contain vitamin D but the body's main source comes from the sun.

The researchers calculated that given the same amount of time spent outside, people living just below the equator in Australia produced 3.4 times more vitamin D than people in Britain and 4.8 times more than Scandinavians.

This means even though rates of internal cancers such as colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer rise from north to south, people in the sunnier latitudes were less likely to die from the diseases, the researchers said.

"The current data provide a further indication of the beneficial role of sun-induced vitamin D for cancer prognosis," said Richard Setlow of the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, who worked on the study.

Getting more vitamin D -- which helps the body's immune system work properly -- is also critical for people living in places like Scandinavia where long winters and short days during the year limit sun exposure, Moan added.

In Norway, Moan estimated that doubling the sun exposure for the general population would also double the number of annual skin cancer deaths to about 300 but that 3,000 fewer people would die from other cancers.

"The benefits could be significant for people in other countries as well," he said in a telephone interview. "I would be surprised if they were different."

Moan, whose findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, recommended daily sun exposure for about half the time it takes a person to get sunburn.

Another way to get more vitamin D could be designing sunscreen that blocks long ultraviolet wavelengths that trigger the deadliest forms of skin cancer while letting through short ultraviolet wavelengths that produce the vitamin, the researchers said.

©2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

Die Autoren werteten die einschlägige Literatur zwischen 1970 und 2007 vollständig aus, zogen aber für ihr Urteil nur methodisch hochwertige und verläßliche Studien heran.

Schon Anfang des Jahres hatten die US-Forscher Gary. G. Schwartz und H.G. Skinner in einer Übersichtsarbeit zu neuen Studien zu Vitamin D und Krebs die Bedeutung der Sonne und des "Sonnenschein-Vitamins" für Vorbeugung und Therapie der unterschiedlichsten Krebsarten hervorgehoben. Besonders bei Prostata-Krebs erhärte sich die Vermutung einer therapeutischen Wirkung von Vitamin D.

Quelle: PubCrawler

Studie: B.A. Ingraham , B. Bragdon, A. Nohe, Molecular basis of the potential of vitamin D to prevent cancer, Current Medical Research and Opinion, vorab online veröffentlicht, Nov. 2007

G.G. Schwartz , H.G. Skinner , Vitamin D status and cancer: new insights, Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care. 10(1):6-11, January 2007

The JNCI study included 16, 818 people and was performed between 1988 and 1994; continuing with follow-up through the end of 2000. It monitored a number of factors, including race/ethnicity, latitude where people lived (which could influence sun exposure vitamin D levels), and lifestyle choices, among other variables.

The key finding of the study? Blood vitamin D levels did not have an appreciable effect on the overall risk of dying from cancer. When the researchers broke down the risks of cancer deaths based on a number of cancer sites, the only significant reduction they found was for colorectal cancer, which was 72 percent less than in people with lower levels of vitamin D. In other words, vitamin D is no magic bullet. Huge news? Not really!

Many researchers agree that vitamin D has a wide array of benefits beyond bone health, but caution the public not to assume that it is a cure all. From a common sense perspective, that statement is true, as multiple lifestyle factors (including more wholesome foods and increased exercise) must be present in the fight for good health.

However, let's be crystal clear about the issue. Media headlines screaming that vitamin D is ineffective against most cancers is absolutely sending the wrong message. It implies that it has no therapeutic or preventative value other than what we currently understand, which is a gross misjudgment of the power of this vitamin.

While this study is getting an amazing amount of exposure; a fact largely left out is the authors admitting to one severe limitation; namely that vitamin D levels were measured ONLY ONCE in six to twelve years. It was also unclear if these level fell or rose in subsequent years. This is supposed to be a credible substantiation of the claim that vitamin D is ineffective against cancer?

Note the research conclusion which substantiates this limitation: "additional studies with large numbers of samples of measured (vitamin D) levels, preferably at multiple time points, are needed to confirm the total cancer mortality findings of this paper and to obtain more accurate risk estimates for mortality from specific cancers."

The NCI also supports the outdated notion of 400 IU (International Units) of vitamin D a day. They nix the idea that larger amounts of vitamin D are superior to the ridiculously low RDA , while advocating a 2,000-IU tolerable upper limit of vitamin D as suggested by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM).

But here's an interesting little fact. Most of us make about 20,000 units of vitamin D after roughly 20 minutes of summer sun. This is about 100 times more vitamin D than the government says you need every day.

So why should we listen to supposed experts limiting our intake? They simply don't have answers, which is why they keep studying the subject. They are learning as they go along, and giving professional advice as their understanding broadens through increased studies. However, at the moment this understanding is still in the infancy stage. Hence the statement from researchers of this study: "More definitive data on both benefits and potential adverse effects of high doses are urgently needed."

Though a large study, I believe it has been prematurely, foolishly and unadvisedly trumpeted by researchers and the mainstream media. Its inherent faults imply amateurism and smack of bias. I'm simply astounded that there are not more journalists doing some investigative work to allow readers to gather sufficient facts to make a credible decision. Simply parroting such results is sloppy writing.

If you totally avoid the sun, recent research indicates you need about 4,000 units of vitamin D a day. You would need to drink about 40 glasses of milk or take 10 multivitamin tablets daily to receive this amount. Neither of these options is recommended.

The only way to receive adequate levels of vitamin D in your blood is to regularly go into the sun, use a sun bed (avoiding sunburn), or have your physician administer a 25‑hydroxyvitamin D test. Optimal levels are around 50 ng/mL (125 nM/L).

Otherwise you need to take supplemental vitamin D3 cholecalciferol. Since many of us get a lot more vitamin D from sunshine than we realize, most need about 2,000 units a day extra. Remember though, vitamin D does not only come from supplements. It is also present in many foods including salmon, mackerel, cod liver oil, tuna, and so on. But sun exposure is still the most important way to increase blood levels of vitamin D.

For credible advice on this subject, check out the Vitamin D Council. It posts current research indicating vitamin D deficiency plays a role in causing seventeen varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, and periodontal disease.

As the Vitamin D Council states, "this does not mean that vitamin D deficiency is the only cause of these diseases, or that you will not get them if you take vitamin D. What it does mean is that vitamin D, and the many ways in which it affects a person's health, can no longer be overlooked by the health care industry nor by individuals striving to achieve and maintain a greater state of health."

So is vitamin D really ineffective against most cancers? If you bet the farm on the assumption of one weak study, then you are playing Russian Roulette with your health. Proceed at your own risk!

This includes nearly 150,000 cases of cancer in the United States, and an estimated 250,000 cases of colorectal cancer and 350,000 cases of breast cancer worldwide. It is true particularly in countries north of the equator.

“The study combined data from surveys of serum vitamin D levels during winter from 15 countries. It is the first such study to look at satellite measurements of sunshine and cloud cover in countries where actual blood serum levels of vitamin D3 had also been determined. The data was then applied to 177 countries to estimate the average serum level of a vitamin D metabolite of people living there.” (EurekAlert, August 21, 2007)

The message, depending on where you live, is you may need to consider taking in considerably higher levels of vitamin D3 than those currently recommended for a meaningful reduction in colorectal cancer.

Inadequate photosynthesis or oral intake of Vitamin D are also associated with high incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer in ecological and observational studies. According to pooled analysis, individuals with serum 25(OH)D of approximately 52 ng/ml had 50% lower risk of breast cancer than those with serum <13 ng/ml. This serum level corresponds to intake of 4000 IU/day, which exceeds the National Academy of Sciences upper limit of 2000 IU/day. (The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology March 2007; 103(3-5):708-11)

Researchers recommend a combination of supplements, dietary methods and short intervals of sun exposure – 10 or 15 minutes a day – with at least 40% of the skin exposed.

Fear of skin cancer from excessive UV exposure is not an irrational one, since roughly some 1 million new cases are diagnosed every year in the United Sates. There are also plenty of warnings about how too much sun can cause premature aging or increase the risk of eye problems like cataracts or macular degeneration, which can lead to total blindness.

Yet over the past decade, many scientists studying cancer have come to the conclusion that the polar opposite of what we've been taught is true. Sunlight actually prevents cancer, while sunscreen may exasperate the problem and increase your chances of developing skin cancer and other pathological disorders. So while sales of sunscreen and products containing sunscreen have skyrocketed; the incidence of skin cancer in the U.S. has tripled in recent years.

Worldwide, the greatest rise in melanoma has been experienced in countries where chemical sunscreens have been heavily promoted. The American Cancer Society estimates that the mortality rate from melanoma has increased 50% since 1973 and nearly 8,000 Americans die of the disease every year. [1]

Many scientists are now unsure whether sunscreen prevents against melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer which accounts for more than 75 percent of skin cancer deaths. Sunscreens are designed to absorb energy from ultraviolet light; however the energy may be transferred to the DNA in skin cells, which could cause problems. [2]

There is also a train of thought which states that these unwanted effects only appear in individuals who suffer from nutritional deficiencies, especially with antioxidants. A lack of eye-protecting antioxidants such as those found in berries (like vitamin C, anthocyanins, etc.) allows UV rays to do harm in ways that would normally not occur in a healthy individual. Thus, the "harm" from UV rays is primarily caused by malnutrition, not simply by exposure to UV rays. [3]

Malnutrition as a cause is not an irrational train of thought, since the promotion of sunscreen and the rise of illness from junk foods and refined foods have coincided over roughly the same time period.

How does sunscreen harm us?

Sunscreen actually promotes cancer by blocking your body's absorption of ultraviolet radiation, and therefore blocking the production of vitamin D in your skin. This of great importance because studies have shown that vitamin D can prevent many cancers.

Yet for decades, cosmetic companies and some dermatologists have strongly advocated that chemical sunscreens should be heavily applied before any exposure to sunlight, despite of a lack of any adequate safety testing of these chemicals.

Chemical sunscreens have three primary defects:

1. Many of the ingredients found in commercial sold sunscreens actually contain free radical generating properties which increase cellular damage and changes that lead to cancer.
2. Their chemicals often have strong estrogenic activity which interferes with normal sexual development.
3. They are synthetic chemicals that are alien to the human body and accumulate in body fat stores. The human body is well adapted to detoxify biologicals, but it has great difficulty removing man made non-biological compounds such DDT, Dioxin, PCBs, and chemical sunscreens. [4]

It’s not wise to scoff at such assertions. A study in the April 2004 Journal of Chromatography found that there is significant penetration of all sunscreen agents into the skin, and oxybenzone and metabolites across the skin. [5]

The safety of these chemicals is controversial at best. For 29 years, the FDA has refused to publish safety standards for sunscreen products. That's nearly three decades of Americans being exposed to extremely harmful, cancer-causing chemicals found in sunscreen products. [6]

As well, a team of researchers from the University of California found that three commonly used ultraviolet (UV) filters in sunscreen -- octylmethoxycinnamate, benzophenone 3 and octocrylene -- eventually soak into the deeper layers of the skin after application, leaving the top skin layers vulnerable to sun damage.

UV rays absorbed by the skin can generate harmful compounds called reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause skin cancer. Once the filters soak into the lower layers of skin, they react with UV light to create more damaging ROS. Apparently, this research is the first to indicate that sunscreen filters become damaging when they are soaked into the skin and another layer of sunscreen is not applied. [7]

Sunscreen and Vitamin D

Another major problem with sunscreen is that it blocks your skin’s ability to make vitamin D by more than 95 percent. [8]

Vitamin D, synthesized in your skin after exposure to UV-B light, has a number of documented anti-cancer effects, including inhibiting cancer cell growth and promoting normal cell cycle activity. [9-11]

So vitamin D is likely protective against melanoma. Remember, too, that sunscreens block UV-B but not UV-A rays, which will also block vitamin D production in the skin. This may be a deadly double whammy: no synthesis of protective vitamin D in the skin, yet exposure to the deeply penetrating UV-A rays. [12]

Epidemiological studies further suggest that sunlight exposure is associated with a decreased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer of the lymph glands. [13]

The list if the sun’s protective properties are endless and cannot all be listed here. In humans, vitamin D (cholecalciferol) is critically important for the development, growth, and maintenance of a healthy body, from birth until death.

I have included a listing of research abstracts showing an increasing number of links between lack of sunshine and problems of the immune, nervous and endocrine systems from theVitamin D Council. It stresses that “hormones of the endocrine system, such as vitamin D, help the immune and nervous systems defend the body, with defects in this intricate system leading to autoimmune disorders.”

The bottom line is: please avoid getting sucked into the hype that sunlight is dangerous. Evidence is rapidly stacking up that the very opposite is true. Certainly, for those who adhere to a natural lifestyle, spending time outdoors (without sunscreen) has always been an essential and intuitive component of living as naturally and healthfully as possible. Of course, intuition is neither scientific nor accepted. But it should make us all wonder why those who practice it live longer and healthier.

Sources:

1. www.cancer.org – What Are the Key Statistics for Melanoma? March 27, 2006.
2. The Baltimore Sun July 14, 2003
3. NewsTarget.com, June 15, 2007
4. The Chemical Sunscreen Health Disaster – www.skinbiology.com.
5. Trash Your Sunscreen and Other Summer Sun Tips – www.mercola.com
6. Sunscreen Summary: What Works and What’s Safe – www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
7. Sunscreen Found to Generate Harmful Compounds that Promote Skin Cancer – www.newstarget.com.
8. Berwick M, Armstrong BK, Ben-Porat L, et al. Sun Exposure and Mortality from Melanoma. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005 Feb 2;97(3):195-9
9. Kawa S, Nikaido T, Aoki Y, et al. Vitamin D analogues up-regulate p21 and p27 during growth inhibition of pancreatic cancer cell lines. Br J Cancer. 1997;76(7):884-9.
10. Verlinden L, Verstuyf A, Convents R, et al. Action of 1,25(OH)2D3 on the cell cycle genes, cyclin D1, p21 and p27 in MCF-7 cells. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 1998 Jul 25;142(1-2):57-65.
11. Liu M, Lee MH, Cohen M, Bommakanti M, Freedman LP. Transcriptional activation of the Cdk inhibitor p21 by vitamin D3 leads to the induced differentiation of the myelomonocytic cell line U937. Genes Dev. 1996 Jan 15;10(2):142-53.
12. Life Extension Magazine - The Sunscreen Paradox Popular Misconceptions About Skin Cancer Prevention – June 2006.
13. Smedby KE, Hjalgrim H, Melbye M, et al. Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure and Risk of Malignant Lymphomas. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005 Feb 2;97(3):199-209.

(Read more...)

Studies now show that certain nutrients block ultraviolet (UV) sunlight triggered changes which can lead to cancer. There are certain foods which are high sources of these beneficial nutrients:

1. Leafy greens, with lutein and zeaxanthin, stop UV induced cell proliferation in Harvard animal studies.
2. Oranges, lemons and limes have limonene, which is linked to a 34% reduction in skin cancer risk (Univeristy of California study).
3. Tart cherries and peppermint leaves are high in perillyl alcohol, which has now been found to stop cancer in human cells when exposed to intense UV light.
4. Red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, which contain carotenoids linked to reduced sunburn, also a skin cancer factor.
5. Green tea contains antioxidants called EGCGs, which block DNA damage in human cells (University of Wisconsin-Madison study).
6. Wild salmon, which in a British study showed good protection against UV induced damage and cancerous DNA changes.

Source: Prevention 2004